Yaya graduates cum laude, walks stage with aunt and alaga

A father was beaming with pride this graduation season, not just for his son, but for the woman who had been looking after his son.

Roland Benzon held the smartphone to record the moment Lucille Guiquin's name was called out, followed by the words "cum laude." Guiquin walked the stage with her aunt and her ward, Benzon's son Josh.

Benzon shared a photo of yaya and her alaga on his Facebook page this Friday.

Guiquin, who now has a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, was employed by Benzon in 2006 to look after Josh.

She fed, bathe, "chaperoned" the child, and even helped with homework and exam reviews — tasks that were "beyond the call of duty" in Benzon's words.

Impressed by her determination and the value she placed on studying, Benzon made a promise to send her to college after his son turns 10.

Guiquin did not waste the opportunity.

"Even though she still did household chores and cared for Josh, she strove to finish each semester with honors. Why? So she could qualify for a student subsidy and help defray her tuition (savings for us!)," Benzon wrote.

He continued, "She even saved up for her own laptop, so she could complete her papers and reports on time ... Four years of university passed so quickly, and she is done. Well done, Lucille. Well done!"

The son of the Benzon household's cook, Caloy, graduated on the same day, adding even more joy to the occasion.

"Caloy and Lucille were classmates, in fact. Though he wasn't the 'family scholar', we realized that most of his mom's salary was going to his tuition, so we chipped in, too," Benzon shared in the comments section of his post.

He added that the class valedictorian from Bacolod was, like Guiquin, a "small town girl."

"What I learned from her valedictory address was that her parents separated when she was young, and her mom raised five kids on her own, with little food on the table," Benzon wrote as another comment under his initial post.

He continued, "An OFW benefactor helped fund her education, but when the donor passed away, she almost dropped out. She worked as a sales clerk in a mall store to make ends meet, and managed to get scholarship elsewhere. Her story was filled with challenges that the delivered her speech half-crying. But, in the end, she triumphed, graduating at the top of her class."

The inspiring stories that Benzon shared received tremendous positive feedback from friends and strangers online, with many applauding Guiquin's achievement. —ALG, GMA News